Comfortably Numb
by uoduck
Summary: Two young men get ready to wade into war. (Harry/Ezio Auditore)


AN: I do not own either HP or Assassin's Creed.

* * *

Harry stared out at the Forbidden Forest, watching as the stars and the moon came out over the castle. The astronomy tower was the highest tower at Hogwarts and he had it to himself to the night, hopefully. His heart still ached and he had barely touched dinner, making Hermione and Ron worry.

Albus Dumbledore was dead and Harry didn't know what to make of it.

His heart fell into his stomach as he leaned against the wall next to him, memories flashing through his mind. Draco confronting Dumbledore… Snape killing him. The Dark Mark being cast as Snape and the other Death Eaters fled the castle.

RAB. The locket that he and Dumbledore had found in Tom's secret cave.

The sound of another strangled gasp startled him so badly he nearly fell off the edge as he turned to look beside him. A man shimmered into view next to him, his clothes strange enough that Harry raised an eyebrow, mind momentarily drawn away.

The man wore white robes and a hood, with a beaked cowl. There was a sword at his waist and what Harry figured to be a few knives at his belt too. The man's boots and cloak and robes were well made, probably well made enough that the Dursely's would be jealous.

He had long dark hair that looked smooth and soft, that was pulled back in a tail behind his back. He also had a distinctive scar on the corner of his lip, not as perhaps distinctive as Harry's own scar, but perhaps recognizable enough.

He looked to be the same age as Harry, perhaps a year older, but he also looked… haunted, his skin very pale. The man jolted as their eyes met and Harry's heart skipped a beat at the young man's amber colored eyes. He spoke something, words that were definitely not in English and Harry slowly shook his head. He supposed the language kind of sounded like Italian but… he hadn't heard many people speak Italian or really any other language that he probably wouldn't know which was which.

A spark of magic sparked around the strange guy and then the guy spoke again. This time, Harry could understand him.

"What… Where am I? What is this? Who are you?"

"I…" Harry trailed off, still meeting the guy's eyes. There was something dangerous in those eyes as he watched the man's eyes narrow, glowing for a second, before the man took a deep breath and deflated, his shoulders uncurling. "I don't know. Who are you? I'm Harry."

"I… am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Harry. I have never heard of someone called Harry before. Where are we?"

"Astronomy tower of Hogwarts," Harry answered quietly, hearing the slight suspicion in Ezio's voice. Though… Ezio's first words to him had sounded a lot more suspicious. It was like something had changed or Ezio had… somehow figured out that Harry meant no harm. "I don't know what happened though. You just appeared here out of nowhere. Maybe you're a figment of my imagination."

"Maybe you're a figment of my imagination. You are speaking with a Florentine accent. Are we… I do not know of many castles in Firenze."

Harry snorted, his lips twitching up into a small smile at that. "I… I'm speaking Italian?"

"You are. Where are we really?"

"Scotland. Hogwarts School of Magic."

Ezio's eyes narrowed. "Scotland? Magic?"

"Yeah. Are you not… You're a muggle." Harry blinked and stared at Ezio, his mouth opening and closing at the thought.

"Excuse me."

"Sorry. Muggles are nonmagical people in the British wizarding world," Harry offered, wrinkling his nose. "Though muggle… I don't like to use that word."

"Magic. Scotland. I was in Firenze as of five minutes ago."

"Firenze… As in Florence?"

"Yes. Florence. Is Scotland west of Italy?"

"Ah, yeah. Something like that," Harry said, shrugging. He looked out over the Black lake to the east and over to the quidditch pitch, seeing the Whomping Willow last and sighing.

Ezio followed his gaze, his eyes widening at the sight around him. "I am not in Firenze anymore, am I?"

"No. No, you're not. You're also not in Kansas anymore."

"What was that?"

"You haven't seen the Wizard of Oz?"

Ezio blinked and stared at him, his tear tracks drying up. "What is the Wizard of Oz?"

"Uh… a movie?"

"Movie. That is a word I do not know. What is it? Is it something that Leonardo's made up?"

Harry stared at Ezio and saw him return the expression. "A movie is… something you watch. Like a book but you don't have to read it. Moving pictures in other words."

"Really."

Harry stared at Ezio, his heart skipping a beat at the look in the man's eyes. "What year is it?"

"1476. December the 30th."

* * *

Ezio looked at the man next to him, hearing the wind howl around them. The tower they were in kept them safe from the wind but… Ezio still didn't know where he was. His heart skipped a beat at the man's frown. Harry… had shown up as an ally in Ezio's special vision but he wasn't entirely sure who he was. Harry had said he was a wizard but what did that mean? Was he like some of the witches that he had heard about that had been hunted?

Harry was indeed speaking with a Florentine accent, one which reminded Ezio of his brother's voice, but there was something off about it. Something about the accent drew Ezio's interest.

"What year is it to you?" Ezio questioned, his right fingers tracing the trigger for his hidden blade.

"June 1996."

Ezio blinked and stared at the young man next to him. His heart hammered in his chest at the words and at the date. "1996?"

"Yeah. You… You're from the past," Harry started, his eyes widening. "Five hundred years in the past. The fuck is happening?"

Ezio continued to stare even as a hoot sounded in the sky. He narrowed his eyes, drawing on his enhanced vision to see the white owl flying towards them, her wings outstretched in a dive.

"Hey, girl," Harry whispered, turning and stretching out his left arm. The bird didn't hesitate at all as she landed on the man's arm. "Hedwig, meet Ezio Auditore. Ezio, meet Hedwig. She's a friend."

Ezio let out a noise of consideration as the owl turned to look at him, his thoughts still whirling about.

"I am in the future then."

"I guess so."

Ezio frowned before looking out over the landscape below and around them, his eyes widening at the intriguing arena beyond the castle. The lake to the east took on a darker edge in his sight but with his more enhanced vision, he could see things swimming in it that looked… decidedly unfishlike. They had a hint of a red glow about them but more often than not, they did not breach the surface.

The stars in the sky looked familiar to him but he did not know much of astronomy. The moon though… That was familiar, white and glowing brightly, almost comfortingly.

He turned to look at the forest and saw many creatures that he did not even remotely recognize, creatures that glowed red while others glowed slightly blue. Spiders and hooved creatures that did not have familiar shapes were many while there were two spots of bright blue, hooved creatures that looked like they had horns on their heads. Ezio sucked in a tight inhale at the sight before turning back to look at Harry.

The man glowed a brilliant blue in his enhanced vision and Ezio shrugged before deciding on whether or not to admit his plans. Harry was young in appearance but he looked as if he was a soldier, like some of the many mercenaries Ezio had seen walking around Firenze. Haunted eyes that had seen many horrible things.

And yet… Ezio's heart flipped about in his chest, seeing the scar on Harry's forehead and his wild black hair. The man was wearing a dark green long-sleeved shirt and some kind of foreign leggings that were a little baggy, like they had not been initially meant for him. Ezio idly imagined taking Harry to the local tailor, wondering how he would look in better tailored clothes. He grinned a little at the thought than dismissed it, licking his suddenly dry lips.

"I was about to go administer justice for my family," Ezio remarked, his thumb rubbing over the trigger for the hidden blade at his wrist. The hidden blade that had been his father's and now was his. "And perhaps start a war."

Harry let out a noise of interest, a small hum, as he raised an eyebrow. "A war? What happened to your family?"

"My father and brothers were murdered by someone we thought was an ally," Ezio offered, meeting the man's eyes steadily. "We were betrayed. I lost my older brother and my younger brother. Petrucchio was only 13."

Harry shuddered, his shoulders curling tighter together. "And by justice… you mean…"

"I mean to kill Uberto Alberti and anyone else who had a hand in their murder."

"I want to say that escalated quickly but… you look like they just died recently."

"I lost them today."

"Oh. Well… I'm sorry, Ezio. I know how that feels," Harry whispered, leaning further into the cold wall behind him as he looked down at the ground below them and then back to him.

Ezio raised an eyebrow.

"I lost my godfather a year ago and then my parents were murdered when I was about 2 years old," Harry explained quietly, shrugging. "I still miss Sirius."

"You lost both of your parents when you were two?"

"It was war…" Harry trailed off, meeting Ezio's eyes. "And they were also betrayed by a man they thought was a friend."

"Ah. And do you have plans to avenge their deaths?"

"...Not so much, no. Well… Kind of. The man who killed them is gaining ground right now and he's gaining followers. And I'm going on the run with a few friends and finding a few things that should help us take him down for real this time. It's more… The whole wizarding world is depending on me and… I wish it wasn't just me."

Harry grimaced before sighing. "I'm the Chosen One, you know."

Ezio stared at him, his eyes narrowing. "Take him down for real this time?"

"He… was supposed to have died when he tried to kill me," Harry said, waving his hand in a wavy manner. "It was a whole thing and no one thought he survived but he did. And now it's all on me and my friends. Piece of advice... Make sure the people you kill are actually dead."

Ezio blinked before he dipped his head in a nod. "I will. Your world sounds complicated and I do not fully know if this is a dream or not. I do not even know if you are actually real and yet you speak of magic."

Harry grinned a little and held his hand up, his eyes narrowing briefly. A ball of light appeared in the middle of his palm, its glow soft. "Dumbledore said something about darkness. Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. It was something cheesy like that and now he's dead. I don't know what to make of it."

Ezio looked at him and then looked away, thinking of his father's last words to him. He didn't quite understand most of Harry's words but he understood the basic meaning. "My father gifted me this cloak and these robes and this blade before he died. I only have my sister and mother left. Time to leave these thoughts of killing aside for the night. I know of a much more pleasurable activity that we can do together."

Harry raised an eyebrow, his green eyes wide before he swallowed, licking his lips once. The light extinguished on his palm before he answered him. "Yeah?"

Ezio hummed and leaned towards the man, grasping Harry's chin lightly and pressed his lips to his. Harry let out a noise of surprise and then he groaned into the kiss, curling an arm around Ezio's shoulders. Ezio grinned and pressed in further, reaching out to pull his cloak around the both of them.

"This would be more pleasurable on a bed," Ezio whispered, lowering his voice as he took a breath and enjoyed the way Harry's eyes were wide with arousal and heat. His cock twitched and perked up even as his heart began to race.

Harry snorted and stood up, tugging Ezio up as well. "Yeah. I know where one is. Come on. Follow me. We'll have to go under my cloak."

"Your cloak?" Ezio echoed, even as he followed Harry back out of the tower door.

"Not as fancy as yours but it'll keep us hidden. I'm not really supposed to be out this late."

Ezio grinned even as his eyes widened. The stone walls of the castle were old and paintings hung about them, paintings that moved and pointed at them. One of the men in the paintings scowled at them and started to open his mouth only for Harry to glare at him.

The man in the painting closed his mouth firmly and just stared at them as they passed. Harry grinned and gestured for Ezio to fall in close, pulling out a shimmery cloak from a pocket. It was soft and thick and rather small looking but it fit both of them as Harry wrapped it around them, covering them from head to foot. Harry put a finger to his lips and Ezio nodded, just as they heard people talking close by.

Ezio leaned in closer to Harry, propping his chin on the other young man's shoulder and pressing a kiss to the skin of his bare neck. Harry's skin was still cold from sitting in the tower for as long as they did, with the wind blowing against them. Harry jolted back into him, turning to glare at him. Ezio smiled and Harry rolled his eyes, goosebumps appearing on his visible skin.

Ezio looked out around them even as one much older man walked towards them, a cat at his heels. Harry sighed quietly as the man continued and Ezio wondered how Harry planned to talk their way out of this.

The older man was rather unattractive, his skin pockmarked and his hair clearly not well cared for. And yet… he continued right past them, not even sparing a glance in their direction. Ezio raised an eyebrow and then Harry tugged on his hand and led the way forward.

He stayed quiet as Harry led them down a set of stairs and down a hallway before stopping in the middle. Harry pulled off the cloak, looking up and down the hallway before nodding. "Stay here."

Ezio watched as Harry paced about the hallway, walking back and forth three times before slowing down by his side. "What good does that do?"

Harry grinned. "Wait for it."

"Wait for what? I would like to get my hands on you."

Harry's cheeks reddened almost instantly. "Say that to all the girls, do you?"

"Yes."

Harry snorted. "Does it work?"

"I usually do not need to speak more than a sentence with my lovers."

"Yeah, I bet," Harry muttered, even as a crack appeared in the wall in front of them.

Ezio's eyes widened as the crack filled out to become a door, as it swung open in front of them.

"The Room of Requirement. Come on. There should be a bed in there," Harry said, his voice gone a little hoarse.

"There should be a bed in there."

"Yeah. It takes the wants of people into account and creates the room accordingly."

Ezio took a step after Harry and then more readily hurried to follow, stepping into the room after him and looking around him at the room. There was indeed a bed, a four poster bed at the far end and candles everywhere, lighting up the room naturally. He could hear soft music being played somewhere but did not see any people playing instruments.

Harry stood by his side, his cheeks a little pink. "It may have taken your thoughts into account too. I just pictured a bed."

Ezio grinned. "This is magic then."

"Yes."

"It's beautiful."

Harry smiled faintly even as the door closed behind them. "I think so too. It's wonderful."

Ezio turned to look at Harry in the candlelight, taking in the sight of the man in front of him. Harry was wearing those strange leggings, boots and shirt and was meeting his eyes easily, heat in them visible. Ezio took a step towards Harry and reached out to cup his cheek, tracing his skin with his thumb.

"My brother used to take other boys as lovers," Ezio whispered, seeing Harry's eyes close briefly before reopening. "You are the first for me."

Harry stared at him, his green eyes softening a little before he closed the distance and pressed his lips to Ezio's. "I guess I feel honored?"

Ezio snorted and deepened the kiss, feeling Harry smile into it. He was definitely much more different than kissing a woman as he didn't have to account for the height difference. "I know there are other men who love men. Leonardo has been accused of such things."

Harry blinked at him, tilting his head in confusion. "Leonardo… as in da Vinci?"

Ezio nodded and Harry stared at him before shaking his head. "You know Leonardo da Vinci. Huh."

"You know of him even now?"

"Sure. He's…"

Ezio pressed a kiss to Harry's mouth again and the man groaned, wrapped his arms around Ezio's shoulders and pushed him backward to the bed.

* * *

Harry woke up as Dobby appeared in the room the next morning, the elf standing at the foot of the bed. The bed was empty except for himself, still a little warm where Ezio had slept after their fucking.

"Master Harry will be late for breakfast."

Harry stared down at the bed, his cheeks warming slightly as memories flashed through his mind. Ezio had been gorgeous to look at as he had stripped last night, taking off his cloak and robes and blades. Harry hadn't really gotten to ask about the blades or the insignia on the robes but they definitely meant a lot to Ezio, given what he had told him. Both the man and his clothes were gone.

"Dobby… did any house elf see the man that slept with me last night?"

"Dobby saw him. Master Harry seemed to have enjoyed himself."

Harry blinked and stared at Dobby. "You… saw us together?"

Dobby nodded.

Harry groaned, closing his eyes. "It wasn't a dream then."

* * *

Ezio woke up in a roof garden the next morning, his clothes and blade right next to him. He yawned and sat up, pulling on his clothes, shivering slightly as morning fog drew its blanket over Firenze. He had work to do, glad of the pleasant dream he had, and triggered the hidden blade at his wrist. With a quiet snick, the blade appeared in his palm and Ezio dawned his hood once again and stepped out of the roof garden and onto the rooftops of Firenze.


End file.
